Team size: Nine

What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

The biggest challenge during the past year has been supporting the business with resource optimisation given the current economic environment impacting every industry around the world. As general counsel, we need to be part of the business, and, as such, it was a challenge to optimise and standardise high-demand legal services in order to have room for the big-ticket projects and priorities. Standardising, and finding ways to innovate within the available resources, is key to satisfy the business demand, and allows general counsel time to invest in strategic legal-business priorities.

Which ways have you attempted to bring the legal department closer to your business colleagues?

I am based in Costa Rica where I support our global business services office and the medical devices sites, all of them in different locations. I also have responsibilities in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Given that background, and for a regional department, tech-communication tools are key.

To overcome the described challenge, I focused on being more present with the teams. It was key to become an active participant in the leadership forums, having market visits either in person or virtually. Once you build knowledge of how the business works, you are able to positively impact and add value while meeting both business and legal priorities. It was also important to work alongside the business to define the easiest and most efficient way to interact, communicate and involve legal. In a nutshell, build trust and deliver. Perform to prove that legal can be an ally by managing risks.

What are some of the most significant cases and transactions you have been involved in recently?

New Bayer Medical site delivery is a USD$200m investment that is supporting the company´s sustainability pilar. With this investment, Bayer will positively impact women’s health in low- and mid-income countries starting in 2024. During the last year we finally completed the construction of the site; I lead the legal strategy to actually build and execute a legal framework with specific tasks and processes to achieve following the project’s timelines.

The legal team also performed an environmental science business divestment in Central America, the Caribbean and Andean region. I was the legal business partner that built and executed our legal framework for the divestment and Cinven’s acquisition of the environmental science division. This project was executed in six months following a specific legal strategy, managing tasks in more than 12 jurisdictions.